A friend of mine recently approached me to see if I knew anything about mystery shopping. She knows that I work at home (although she isn't quite sure what I do) and she knows that I write this blog.
While not technically a job that can be done totally from the home, mystery shoppers are typically independent contractors and are often also moms.
I thought that I could kill two birds with one stone (figure of speech) by sharing my research for my friend with you, the readers.
If you are not mystery shopping yourself, the first question that might come to mind is: What is mystery shopping? Wikipedia actually has a fairly good definition of mystery shopping. Basically, a mystery shopper is hired by a company or a company's competitor to pose as a shopper in order to gather various types of information (such as quality of service, placement of products, condition of company facility, and so on).
Many moms are attracted to mystery shopping because it offers the opportunity to set their own schedule. As an independent contractor, a mystery shopper can turn down assignments and also choose which organizations that they accept assignments from. Of course, to many, shopping and getting paid for it seems like a dream job.
Some of the drawbacks to mystery shopping that I discovered in my research include:
- Wear and tear on the car. Sometimes mileage is not paid for and a mystery shopper's car can take a lot of wear and tear as she travels from shop to shop.
- Long waits for reimbursement. While the mystery shopper often gets to keep what she bought for the shopping assignment, usually she must pay for the item out of her own pocket and wait to be reimbursed by the company.
- Low pay. Once the mystery shopper adds together to time spent traveling to and from her shopping assignment, the actual shopping time, and the time spent compiling a report she may find that she is working for less than minimum wage.
- Discovery. If a mystery shopper is discovered by the store that she is shopping in she may face an angry employee and, in some instances, may not get paid for the assignment from the shopping company.
With mystery shopping it really is "buyer beware," so be sure to check out the reputation of any mystery shopping companies thoroughly before agreeing to work for them.
If you would like additional information on mystery shopping, here are three great resources for you:
Are you a mystery shopper? Send me an email or leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
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» "TxPeg": Work-at-Home Interview Series (Part 1 of 2) from WorkFromHomeMomma
Did you ever wonder what it's like to be a mystery shopper? Get the inside scoop in this interview with "TxPeg," a mystery shopper with five years of experience. [Read More]
Tracked on: August 15, 2007 8:39 AM | Permalink to Trackback